Tuesday 26 February 2013

East London man jailed for random attacks on teenage girl and student - The Guardian

Michael Ayoade was caught after CCTV of the second attack was released showing him punching a teenage girl unconscious. Link to video: East London unprovoked assault on girl caught on CCTV

A man who sneaked up on a teenage girl and a female student and punched them unconscious in two chilling random attacks has been jailed for four years.

Michael Ayoade, 35, of Plaistow, east London, was caught on CCTV carrying out the motiveless assaults.

Passing sentence at Inner London crown court, Judge Roger Chapple said they were "vicious, unprovoked attacks on young, lone females".

He said Ayoade posed a threat of causing serious harm to women.

Having viewed CCTV of both the attacks, the judge said: "These images are indeed worth many thousands of words. The footage captures graphically the shocking violence of these attacks.

"In both cases there was but one blow. In the case of [the 16-year-old] it can plainly be seen from the CCTV footage that the force behind the blow was massive.

"The ferocity of the blow that you struck to her after running up behind her with full force was truly shocking.

"In both cases the force of the blow was such as to render the victims unconscious, albeit mercifully not for long."

The first attack was at Plaistow tube station on 20 November 2011, when he hit a university student in the side of the head, leaving her sprawled unconscious in the ticket hall.

Daniella Montieth, who was studying political science and international relations, was taken to hospital with a broken tooth.

Shocking CCTV footage of the second attack was released by police in November last year as they appealed for information.

The 16-year-old victim was walking in Plaistow at around 12.30pm on 13 November when Ayoade jogged up behind her and punched her in the head.

She immediately fell to the ground and was left lying unconscious on the pavement, suffering three broken teeth.

Ayoade had followed the teenager for about 800 metres before he struck.

Prosecutor Joel Smith told the court Ayoade said she had "looked at him in a rude way", and that he could not go through the rest of the day having taken "an insult from a little person like that".

Ayoade had previously admitted two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of possession of cannabis after a bag of the drug was found at his home.

He was arrested shortly after the second attack.

On Monday he was sentenced to four years for the attack on the teenager, and 19 months for punching the student, to run concurrently.

There was no separate penalty for the cannabis charge.

Chapple said he had given Ayoade the maximum possible term.

Speaking outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Rock said the victims could have been hurt much more seriously.

"I think like most people I was shocked, genuinely shocked, like any member of the public would be," he said. "I can only say that having seen that footage I'm really glad that by good fortune the two victims survived or came through their injuries relatively well.

"With the 16-year-old girl, having viewed that footage you could reasonably have thought that you were looking at very serious injuries.

"Quite clearly that behaviour without any motive pretty clearly shows that he is a danger to women on the streets and I think the judge's sentence has reflected that.

"We're very glad to have got this man off the street."

Ayoade was caught after police released CCTV footage of the second attack and members of the public came forward with information.

British Transport Police then realised that the same attacker had struck a year earlier.

The court heard that Ayoade has two previous convictions for similar violence both from 2009 – one for common assault when he punched a woman after he spat on her shoes, and another when he hit a man who was speaking on a mobile phone.

He told the man: "I'm sorry, that wasn't meant for you."

Defending, Gillian Frost said Ayoade had shown no desire to cause more serious harm to the women, and that there was no psychiatric reason for the attacks.

He told police after the second attack that he had smoked three or four cannabis joints and drunk a cup of vodka before hitting the teenager.

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